Tag Archives: ukcuts
Cash strapped councils strip £900m from elderly care
Elderly and disabled care budgets have been slashed by £900 million this year alone as local councils struggle to balance the books, social services chiefs have disclosed.
Almost £2 billion less is now being spent on care for vulnerable older or disabled people than just two years ago as nationwide cuts to reduce the deficit take effect.
Social services chiefs said the figures showed there was now a “desperate need” for politicians of all political parties urgently to agree a solution to the looming crisis in care for the elderly to cope with Britain’s ageing population.
‘Dangerous’ elderly care cuts ‘will cost us dear’
Red Cross warns of ‘false economy’ of ‘dangerous’ social care cuts
Elderly people are being put in jeopardy by “dangerous” cuts to basic home care which will end up costing the taxpayer thousands of pounds, GPs today warn.
Almost nine in 10 GPs warned that patients were being put at risk by a lack of social care support with many saying they had seen increased levels of isolation among the elderly, more falls and accidents amid growing pressures on the NHS.
The warning comes in a report which calculates that simple, relatively inexpensive support for frail older could save the taxpayer an average of more than £10,000 per person per year.
It condemns cuts to social care as a “false economy”, making people more likely to be admitted to hospital or be forced to move into a care home.
Care home residents who pay subsidising the rest, owners admit
At present anyone with assets worth more than £23,500 has no help from the state in funding their care even though some face costs of up to £100,000 a year
Middle class people in care homes are being charged up to £12,000 a year extra to subsidise the cost of those who receive free care, owners have admitted.
More than four out of five care home operators admit they have had to put up prices for those who pay for their own way because of councils cuts – with some suggesting that the difference in cost is now up to 50 per cent.
They say that it amounts to an extra “tax” on those deemed well enough off to pay for care – effectively meaning that they are being charged twice.
But care home operators said they would go out of business if they were not able to charge so-called self-funders higher fees.
